When Martin Scorsese released Casino in 1995, audiences were shocked at how realistically the film portrayed organized crime in 1970s and early 1980s Las Vegas. Few, however, realised that it was based on a true story.
Crime families from the Midwest ruled the casino trade in Las Vegas for decades. The Tangiers casino in the film is based on the real Stardust Resort and Casino, one of the most renowned establishments in town. The true history behind the film is filled with corruption, violence, and compelling figures who played a key role in shaping the city’s gambling industry.
The film is an adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi’s true-life book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. It tells the story of Sam “Ace” Rothstein (played by Robert De Niro), a fictionalised version of real-life figure Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal.
Rosenthal was an accomplished sports handicapper who operated four casinos for the Chicago Outfit, despite never having an official license from the Nevada Gaming Commission. He had a keen eye for spotting cheaters and an exceptional attention to detail. The crime group that employed him valued these skills immensely.
The character of Nicky Santoro, portrayed with terrifying intensity by Joe Pesci, was based on Anthony “Tony the Ant” Spilotro, a ruthless enforcer sent by the Chicago Outfit to protect their Vegas interests. Spilotro’s real-life reign of terror in Las Vegas was even more brutal than what could be acceptably shown in Scorsese’s crime epic.
He formed the “Hole in the Wall Gang,” a burglary ring that drilled through walls and ceilings to access high-end homes and businesses. The FBI eventually attributed over 20 murders to Spilotro’s crew.
Ginger McKenna, the troubled showgirl portrayed by Sharon Stone in an Oscar-nominated performance, was based on Geri McGee, Rosenthal’s real-life wife. Their relationship was just as tumultuous as depicted in the film. McGee’s drug addiction and continued ties to former boyfriend Lenny Marmor (the inspiration for James Woods’ character) further destabilized Rosenthal’s already precarious position.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the true story is how it all ended. In the film, the mob’s skimming scheme collapses due to greed and betrayal. In reality, the FBI’s Operation Strawman uncovered a massive operation in which millions of dollars were covertly removed from counting rooms at mob-owned casinos and funneled to crime families in Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Kansas City.
The real turning point came not from the mob bosses themselves, but from the Teamsters Pension Fund. The fund had heavily invested in the construction of mob-linked casinos. When the skimming was exposed, it triggered one of the largest RICO cases in U.S. history. Over a dozen high-ranking mob figures were convicted in what became known as the Strawman Case.
These events permanently altered the trajectory of Las Vegas. Major corporations moved in and replaced mob control, ushering in a new era of massive resorts and publicly traded casino companies. The transformation didn’t happen overnight—it took years for mainstream business to fully embrace Las Vegas—but once the shift began, it accelerated quickly.
What makes the film Casino especially fascinating is how it captures this pivotal moment in Las Vegas history: the city’s transition from mob dominance to corporate ownership. While Scorsese focuses on the personal struggles of the characters, he also illustrates the broader transformation of Las Vegas. The old casinos were razed, replaced by more polished, mainstream resorts that would define the city’s new identity.
The real ending was far more brutal than what’s depicted in the film. Tony Spilotro and his brother Michael were murdered and buried in an Indiana cornfield in June 1986. The likely motive was the Chicago Outfit’s frustration with Tony’s increasingly high-profile behavior and excessive violence.
Rosenthal narrowly escaped assassination in 1982 when his car exploded. He survived only because a metal plate under the driver’s seat—standard in that Cadillac model—shielded him from the full force of the blast.
The real-life history behind Casino is captivating not just for its violence or financial intrigue, but because it represents a unique chapter in American history. It was a time when organized crime had a firm grip on a legitimate industry—so much so that it took years of federal investigation to dismantle their control.
When we watch Casino today, we’re not just seeing a masterful crime film—we’re witnessing a dramatized but fundamentally accurate retelling of Las Vegas’s transformation. It marks the end of an era: when the mob ran the city, and when the glittering promise of Las Vegas masked a far more dangerous reality. The film stands as both an exceptional piece of cinema and a haunting memorial to a version of Las Vegas that now exists only in memory.
